Gutter Repair in Madison, WI

Local know-how

Lakes, leaf-free streets and long winters in Madison

Madison sits on a narrow isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, with Lakes Wingra, Waubesa and Kegonsa close by. It gets about 35 inches of precipitation a year and around 50 inches of snow, with cold winters, wet springs and summer thunderstorms that can be extreme. In August 2018, storms dropped more than 11 inches of rain across west Madison and Middleton in a single day, flooding streets and basements across the area.

The lakes shape a lot about gutters here. Water from roofs flows to the lakes through storm drains, and so do the leaves, seeds and grass clippings that wash into the street. Those leaves carry phosphorus that feeds the algae blooms Madison's lakes are known for, which is why the city asks residents to keep leaves out of the street.

The housing ranges from the old homes of the Willy Street, Marquette, Vilas and Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhoods, many built in the early 1900s with tight lots and tall trees, to the post-war ranches of the east and west sides and the larger new homes in Middleton, Fitchburg, Verona and Sun Prairie.

Madison's urban forest is heavy with maples, oaks, lindens and honey locusts. Emerald ash borer arrived in the city in 2013, and many ash trees have been removed, but the remaining canopy still fills gutters every autumn.

Gutter repair in Madison, WI

The most common repair calls in Madison come after winter: gutters pulled down by ice, hangers pried loose, downspouts cracked by frozen water, and seams split by the freeze-thaw cycle. On older homes near the isthmus, wood fascia under aluminum wrap is often soft and needs replacing before new hangers will hold.

A repair visit in spring should include re-pitching any runs that sag, replacing cracked downspout sections and elbows, and resealing joints. It is also a good time to check that underground downspout lines still drain, since frost can shift them.

Madison gutter installation

New gutters in Madison need close hanger spacing for snow and ice, downspouts sized for summer cloudbursts, and outlets placed so the meltwater does not freeze on driveways and walks. Most owners pick seamless aluminum, and 6-inch gutters suit the large roofs on newer homes in Middleton and Verona.

Plan the discharge with winter in mind. A downspout that dumps on a north-side walk creates an ice patch all winter. Piping it under the walk or to the side yard is safer.

Madison, WI gutter cleaning and leaf-free streets

The city's leaf-free streets campaign asks residents to keep leaves out of the gutter along the curb, because leaves in the street wash into storm drains and add phosphorus to the lakes. That applies to the debris from roof gutters too. When gutters are cleaned, the leaves should be bagged or composted, never swept into the street.

The city runs leaf collection in autumn, with rules on how and when leaves are put out. A gutter cleaning company should bag debris or leave it where the owner can add it to the collection pile in line with city rules.

Ice dams on the isthmus

Older homes on the isthmus often have little insulation in the attic and steep roofs, a combination that forms ice dams in January and February. An ice-filled trough drags its hangers out of the fascia board. The lasting fix is better attic insulation and ventilation, and heat cable on the eave and in the gutter can help on the worst sections while that is planned.

The 2018 flood and basement water

The August 2018 storms showed how quickly roof water can overwhelm a basement in Madison. Many homes that flooded had downspouts emptying right at the foundation or into old underground lines that had collapsed. Extending downspouts well away from the house and checking that buried lines are clear are the simplest ways to cut that risk.

Rain gardens in Madison

Madison and Dane County have encouraged rain gardens for years, and many yards have a shallow planted basin that takes water from a downspout and lets it soak in slowly. A rain garden should be at least ten feet from the foundation and sized to the roof area that drains to it. It holds back runoff that would reach the storm drains and the lakes and adds native plants to the yard.

Maple seeds and spring cleaning

Silver and Norway maples are common along Madison streets, and they drop huge quantities of winged seeds in late spring. The seeds pack into gutters and downspouts, and many sprout in the wet debris. A cleaning in late May or June, after the seeds fall, is as important here as the autumn cleaning.

Lake homes and shoreline rules

Homes on the lakes in Maple Bluff, Shorewood Hills, Monona and along Lake Mendota fall under shoreland zoning rules that limit what can be built near the water and how runoff is handled. Downspouts should not send water straight over a bank into the lake. Spreading it across the lawn or into a planted area protects the shoreline.

Willy Street and the near east side

The Williamson-Marquette and Atwood neighborhoods along the isthmus hold rows of narrow frame houses put up between roughly 1890 and 1925, many with front porches and side driveways only a few feet wide. Downspouts on these homes often empty into the gap between two houses, where neither yard has room for an extension. A short buried line to the front terrace or a downspout diverter to a rain barrel is often the only practical answer. Shared driveways also mean a neighbor's runoff can freeze on your side, which is worth a conversation before winter.

Vilas, Dudgeon-Monroe and the Arboretum edge

Homes near Vilas Park, Lake Wingra and the UW Arboretum sit under old oaks, basswoods and hickories, and their gutters carry a heavy acorn and leaf load each fall. Many are 1910s and 1920s foursquares and bungalows with wood gutters or half-round metal replacements. Wood gutters can be restored if the rot is local, but they need regular oiling and clean outlets. Ice dams are common on these steep, poorly insulated roofs.

Middleton, Fitchburg and Verona subdivisions

West and south of the city, newer subdivisions in Middleton, Fitchburg, Verona and Sun Prairie have large roofs with many valleys and few trees yet. Their gutters stay cleaner, but builder-grade downspouts are often too small for summer storms, and the outlets drain onto lawns graded toward the street. Larger downspouts and an extra outlet near each valley handle the heavy bursts these areas saw in 2018.

Local guidance

What to check yourself before calling anyone in Madison

You can diagnose most of it from the ground. After rain stops, look along the gutter line: if water is still sitting in the trough an hour later, the run has lost its fall and no amount of cleaning will fix that.

Next, run a hose into the gutter and watch the bottom of each downspout. A strong flow means the system is clear; a trickle or nothing means the blockage is below the outlet, often in the elbow or a buried line.

Finally, look at the fascia board behind and below the gutter. Dark staining, flaking paint or a visibly swollen board means water has been getting where it should not, and that needs dealing with before anything is re-fastened to it.